What his best friends didn't know
by Winged Lady Colette
Summary: What his best friends didn't know was there was more going on between the Fallen Hero and the Goddess's Champion.
1. They didn't know he was alive

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Word count: 1,617**

**Author's note: This is something knew that I wanted to try. Inspiration hits me at the weirdest times. Please enjoy and let me know what you think.**

It was a few months after Deep Ground's fall when it happened. The dust had barely settled before the WRO and the new Shinra Inc. joined together to create a new super corperation that had the human ideals of the WRO in it's slogan.

Rufus and Reeve bothe mutually agreed on becoming Co-Presidents. Rufus handled the political and economic stuff, while Reeve handled general affairs and social media. The people still did not trust Rufus or the four Turks that remained after the fall of Shinra, but the people liked and trusted Reeve. The people have _always _liked and trusted Reeve.

He was always liked by the public. He was the genius behind the creation of the city Midgar, it's entire design was his planning. It was a matroplois. Besides his sunny disposition, he's naturally extremely friendly with everyone that he comes into contact with.

So, with Reeve by Rufus's side with a smile and a promise that everything will get better. The people began to warm up to the young President and even began to trust him too. Even AVALANCH members let their distrust of Shinra go when they were all permentently involved in the making of the global superpower.

Cloud even built a friendship with Rufus and his Turks and when you are accepted by the hero of the world, you are accepted by everyone.

Two months later, he reappeared. The one the hero of the world feared. The Ex-General himself, Sephiroth, showed up at Aerith's Church naked and confused.

"Sephiroth?" Cloud says slowly, pulling his sword from its sheath across his back.

The legendary Hero looks at Cloud, confused, before he walks toward him, slightly stumbling. Big cat like blue eyes stare, dazed at Cloud as he stumbles closer.

Looking into those blue disarming eyes, Cloud can tell that whoever is walking toward him, it's not the menacing mother-crazed world destroyer, but someone else. Lowering his blade, Cloud watches as Sephiroth steps up to him and wraps his arms around his neck and lowers his long white haired head to the blond's shoulder.

The blond hero froze at the contact. A heavy, hot breath brushes his neck every frew seconds, getting slower and slower, almost as if he's falling asleep. Standing up?

"Sephiroth?" Cloud says softly, shifting his weight, away from the silver haired man's dead weight.

Sephiroth pulls away to look at Cloud, tilting his head to the right. Sephiroth moves past Cloud and into the flower patch, avoiding stepping on any of the flowers. When he reaches the center, he lowers himself and pulls his legs to his chest. He lays his head down and closes his eyes.

Cloud steps back and just stares n wonder. Is this really the guy he was fighting before? The light from the holes in the ceiling all seem to point at the man. Cloud can see Zack's sword standing, almost like a silent sentinal, behind the silver haired man.

"_Everyone... deserved a second chance..." _Aerith whispers softly. _"Even Sephiroth."_

Cloud can feel the flower girl's presents at his back, an undenyable comfert swallows him up. "What's wrong with him?" Cloud finds himself asking, eyes on the slumbering Hero.

"_Nothing is wrong. I have given him the opportunity to be saved. I took his memories and locked them up. You will need him at his most innocent form to heal him."_

"Heal him?" Cloud echos. "How can I heal him?"

"_Teach him what was never taught." _Aerith answers softly. Zack appears behind Sephiroth, his hand on the sleeping man's shoulder.

"_How to love. Sephiroth forgot what it was like to love and be loved." _Zack says quietly, looking at Cloud with familiar mako enhanced blue eyes.

"_He needs friends that, for sure, won't leave him. He needs to learn how to care and how to trust. So when the day comes and he remembers, he'll be able to accept what happened to him and not turn back to Jenova." _Aerith explains, moving to stand next to the blond. Her green eyes watch the sleeping silverette with gentle affection. _"I saw him in the Lifestream. It's not what you expect. In the Lifestream, you take on the form of your soul's true nature. Sephiroth's is that of a small child, weeping in fear and sadness. He's afraid and sad and his soul reflects it."_

Cloud looks over at her. "You want me to reteach him...everything? You want all of us to be his friends? After everything that happened?" Aerith nods in affirmative.

Zack's eyes lock with Cloud's and raven haired man smiles, before dissapearing into the light. Aerith looks over at Cloud.

"_You wont be alone for long. To change the world, everyone will need to get involved."_

And, without any other form of explaination, the brown haired girl is gone. Cloud couldn't believe it. A Sephiroth that has no idea how to take care of himself. That is practically an infant in the body of a grown man.

Tifa is going to flip shit. She's the one that going to have to help him take care of the mute silver haired man. Cloud doesn't know how to take care of someone else. He barely knows how to take care of himself.

What was Zack and Aerith thinking?

And what did Aerith mean when she said that he wouldn't be alone for long?

Aerith has already proven that she has the power to affect the living relm even after death and she has also shown that bringing someone back from the dead is not an impossible task. Is she planning to bring more people back to life? If so, who?

Cloud looks at the sleeping Ex-General, trying to decide his next move. Aerith left him as Sephiroth's caretaker and he needed Tifa's help and support. Aerith was right. Everyone deserves a second chance and if they can save Sephiroth, why wouldn't they help?

Cloud never hated Sephiroth. He pitied him. Sephiroth had been through so much in his life and it lead him to insanity. So many factors. Everything spiraled out of controlled. Sephiroth couldn't escape the darkness that surrounded him and eventually it swallowed him up.

The blond could never turn away from someone in need on good concious. Besides, he really didn't blame Sephiroth for all the terrible things he's done.

But this doesn't stop the fact something needs to be done now. Sephiroth is sleeping in the middle of a patch of flowers. Dead to the world. He is truly in danger. Even if the world is improving, it's still not completely safe. People don't know the story about Sephiroth, only that he was killed in action. They might be able to salvage his former self, while at the same time recreating an image that is purely his own. Not influenced by the media.

But for now, Cloud needs to get Sephiroth some clothes and a place to sleep tonight.

The blond looks around the otherwise empty Church. Unfortunately, and maybe fortunately, no one comes here. If he left for a few minutes to pick Sephiroth up some clothes... he'd be fine. Right?

Cloud knows that you aren't suppose to leave a baby home alone for any time frame but Sephiroth isn't a baby, and certainly can not be considered one. Can he?

He can't take Sephiroth with him though. Not now that he doesn't even have a shirt on his back. It's good thing there isn't anyone around for miles, but still how would anyone react to seeing a naked Sephiroth walking around with no memory of anything?

Sephiroth let's out a tiny snore, still unmoving from his place in the middle of the flowers. Deciding that Sephiroth shouldn't be left alone in his... slumbering state.

Pulling out his phone, Cloud dials the number of one of his friends, he knows will hear him out and react calmly.

He picks up after the second ring. "Cloud."

"Hey Vincent. I need a favor from you. Are you busy?" Cloud turns away from the sleeping man to look around the Church again.

"No, I'm not. What do you need?"

"I need you to get me a pair of long sweat pants and a shirt and bring them to the Church. I have a friend that is in desperate need of them. Plus, I need your assistance." Cloud says, turning back to Sephiroth. "It's big. And it's about Sephiroth."

After Vincent hung up, Cloud walks over the patch of flowers. He kneels down and looks at Sephiroth's peaceful, sleeping face. There is prominent dark circles under his eyes. Like he hasn't slept in a long time.

"Sephiroth," Cloud says softly. The silver haired man isn't bothered. Cloud watches his face and calls out to him again. This time Sephiroth stirs, opening his eyes. For a moment Sephiroth just stares at Cloud before he starts to crawl toward the blond. All his limbs avoid even touching a flower, Cloud notices.

Sephiroth stops inches from him, sits and pulls his knees back up to his chest.

"Sephiroth, are you okay?" Cloud asks.

Sephiroth's face remains blank.

"Sephiroth..." Cloud trails off. "You have no idea what I'm saying, do you?"

There is no facial reaction. If he did have any idea what Cloud was saying, he was hiding it really well. Or maybe Cloud really sucked at reading people.

The mute Hero leans forward and lays his head on Cloud's shoulder, almost like he's seeking comfert or a shoulder to sleep on. Judging from the light snore that soon follows, Cloud is willing to bet on the latter.

Cloud couldn't help but chuckle lightly, as he accepts the weight of the slumbering hero and waits for Vincent to arrive.


	2. They didn't know he was innocent

**Word Count: 2,111**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea.**

"You're ass has to be freezing."

Cloud chuckles at his own words. Sephiroth remains undisturbed by Cloud's voice, still sleeping away with a tiny snore once and while. Cloud knows from months, sleeping on this floor that the wood of this church doesn't retain heat at all. Even the pews are freezing most of the time.

Finally, Cloud lays his sword on the ground and sits. Sephiroth awakens by his moving. Dark purple smudges under his eyes look so much darker up close.

Sephiroth scoots closer and lays his head back down. Cloud couldn't help but not feel threatened by this sleeping man. He really was like a child. Completely unaware of the world around him. All he wants is to sleep.

Then a thought hits Cloud before he can stop it. Sephiroth didn't walk all the way here from the Northern Crater without stopping once, did he? Cloud looks back at the dark circles again. He wouldn't put it past Sephiroth to have started his journey and didn't stop once til he got here. Did Aerith wake Sephiroth up and then gave him the inkling to come to the church and the otherwise mindless zombie marched until he got there. If that was the case, then no wonder Sephiroth barely kept his eyes open for more then a minute or two.

"He's asleep." A voice behind Cloud, startles him. Cloud twists his neck around to see Vincent standing a few feet behind the slumbering hero and his living pillow.

"What?" Cloud asks quietly.

Vincent nods toward Sephiroth. "I didn't know this was what I should have expected when I brought the clothes. I guess this really is about Sephiroth."

Cloud nods. "Aerith brought him to life. She told me that we need to help. Give him a second chance, but this time help him get through the truth of his birth. Aerith says that so long as we become good friends, he will be okay."

Vincent's red eyes turn to the sleeping man. Definitely Lucretia's son. He looks just like her but with stronger features and silver hair. Vincent couldn't believe that the evil monster that they fought was the son of the woman that he used to love. Somehow, even though the man is nearly 30 when he's sleeping, Vincent can't help but see the small baby that Lucretia brought into this world. The only piece of Lucretia that he has left other than a glowing blue rock in the forgotten city.

"Aerith brought him here?" Vincent clarifies one last time. He can not deny that if the brown haired flower girl brought him here, then no one, in their group of friends at least, wouldn't dream of going against her words. The ancient knew what she was doing. If she brought him here then there is no reason to believe something might go wrong.

"Yeah," Cloud says quietly, looking down at Sephiroth. He puts a hand on his shoulder and began to shake the sleeping man awake. Cat like blue eyes open up slowly and look around quietly. Without lifting his head, he yawns and closes his eyes again.

"No, Sephiroth, wake up." Cloud lifts his head up, forcing the silverette to stay awake. Cloud climbs to his feet. He re-sheaths his sword and pulls Sephiroth to his feet. Sephiroth moves closer and wraps his arms around Cloud, laying his head down to fall back to sleep but Cloud stops him. "We need to get you some place safe. You can't sleep yet. Let's get you dressed and then go see Tifa."

Sephiroth doesn't show any reaction, just moves to lay his head down again, but Cloud starts to lead him over to Vincent to get the clothes.

After a few minutes of Sephiroth not helping at all,they finally managed to get him dressed. As soon as they finish, Sephiroth is leaning against Cloud again, ready to go back to sleep.

"Someone is exhausted." Cloud says with a tad bit of affection. He turns to Vincent. "Will you go on ahead and tell Tifa what's going on. I'll be close behind."

Vincent nods. "Very well." With that, the red cloaked man turns around to leave but Cloud calls out for him.

"Vincent, thanks."

The Ex-Turk nods, a tiny smile on his lips before he turned away again and headed off in that mysterious way he always does.

Very delicately, Cloud lead's the tired Ex-General out of Aerith's Church with a look back to see the light glisten off Zack's sword. Sephiroth looks over at the sword, his pupils dilate before a tiny smile crosses his face. Cloud can't see Zack and Aerith standing by the formers prized weapon. Watching the two leave with smiles on their faces. Aerith gives Sephiroth a nod before they both disappear.

Sephiroth turns back to Cloud as the blond finishes putting his sword into one of the many slots on the Fenrir. Cloud turns back to Sephiroth and leads him over to the bike. He spends five minutes teaching Sephiroth on how to get on the bike and once the man has it down, Cloud seats himself in front of the former hero.

"Here, wrap your arms around me. You need to hold on tight or you'll fall off." Cloud stares at Sephiroth and once again sees that the silent silverette doesn't seem to understand what he's saying so Cloud grabs both of his wrists and holds them together on his abdomen. Fenrir roars to life, startling Sephiroth, his entire body going rigid.

Like a frightened child, Sephiroth clings to Cloud tightly. Now that he knows Sephiroth wont suddenly let go, Cloud kicks up the stand and began to move, noting that Sephiroth's grip only tightened as they made a slower trek then Cloud would usually take back to the Seventh Heaven but every time Cloud sped up even a little, Sephiroth squeezed tighter, regardless of if the man remembered or not, his strength did not wither and if Sephiroth got too frightened, he might just squeeze the life out of Cloud. So slow was the way to go.

Sephiroth buried his face between Cloud's shoulder blades, not watching the world go by. It is so weird for Cloud to know that Sephiroth—general of the old Shinra army-is clinging to him like a frightened child.

But regardless, Cloud takes good care. Thankfully, everyone is already at work so no one sees the supposedly dead SOLDIER hero before everyone can get their story straight.

Cloud tries to get off the bike but Sephiroth refuses to let go, his grip like iron. Cloud has to practically pry each finger off individually to release himself.

Once that mission is completed, Cloud helps Sephiroth off, who looks near delirious with exhaustion, leans heavily against Cloud.

"Come on, Sephiroth, let's go meet Tifa," Cloud says quietly, leading Sephiroth into the bar right as Tifa explodes.

"He's _what_?"

Sephiroth jumps, wide awake, now. Tifa's voice startles him.

"Tifa," Cloud says, lightly. "You scared him."

Tifa reels away from Vincent, probably to snap at Cloud with the full force of PMSing but stops when she spots Sephiroth, cowering behind Cloud. She stumbles with the power she used to stop herself and just stares at the trembling adult.

Tifa almost looks like she doesn't believe it. She gapes, mouth opening and closing only to repeat the process again and again, unable to stop.

Finally, she let's out a breath and turns to Cloud. "How? When? Where? Why?"

Cloud shrugs. "Aerith. Don't know. Northern Crater and to give him another chance at life."

Tifa blinks, like she didn't expect that as an answer. Almost wearily, Tifa lowers herself to a bar stool and watches Sephiroth worriedly. She lets out a sigh and runs a hand through her hair and turns back to Cloud.

"The whole story, now."

So, Cloud sits Sephiroth down by the door and proceeds to tell Tifa and Vincent all that happened. Everything that Zack and Aerith said and his impression of Sephiroth right now.

"He's like a child. Ask Vincent. He couldn't even put on his own clothes." Cloud glances over his shoulder to the dozing SOLDIER. "Even now, he's plain exhausted. Tifa, I think this is the real thing," he says looking back at his friend. "Sephiroth really needs our help and this time, we can change the out come. I don't know the whole story that came with Sephiroth's fall from grace, but we have the chance to save him."

Tifa stares at Sephiroth, a hard look in her eyes. "You really think he can be saved?"

Cloud nods, looking over at Sephiroth. "Yeah, I do." Even as he said the words, he knew in his heart that it was true. Cloud can see the innocents in Sephiroth. He hopes that someday when the truth comes out to the old war veteran, Cloud hopes Sephiroth will see the innocents in himself.

Tifa lets out another sigh. "Okay, fine. I'll..." she hesitates, "I'll help you out. If," she cuts in before Cloud can thank her. "I'm helping. Not doing it by myself. That means you have be here more, a lot more. I understand work but other than that. You're home."

Cloud nods. "Deal. Besides, I've missed the kids."

Tifa smiles lightly. "They've missed you too. How do you think they'll react to Sephiroth?"

"The same way Sephiroth will react to them." Cloud answers. "With a lot of confusion." Now, Cloud address his stoic friend who hasn't put much of his own input in. "What are you thinking about, Vincent?"

Red eyes stay glued on the sleeping Sephiroth. "The future." He blinks, like he realized that wasn't enough information, he clarifies, "What the future will hold for us."

"And what's the verdict?" Tifa asks.

"If we do this right, good things. If not," Red eyes lower, "a lot of heart ache."

Cloud and Tifa nod somberly and the latter turns her brownish-red gaze to the sleeping man. "I guess he is like a big child. How long do you think it'll take before he can do stuff by himself and be more like an adult?"

"I don't know." Cloud says honestly. "I don't think too long. He acts like a child but his brain is as advanced as an adult, plus he'll be remembering stuff so, not too long I hope." Cloud shrugs.

"I'll be around. I'll stay at the WRO headquarters." Vincent pushes himself away from the wall.

"WRO/Shinra headquarters." Tifa corrects with a grin.

Vincent turns his gaze to her, evenly. "I don't want to hear about the hybrid. Excuse me."

Cloud chuckles lightly. "Good luck with that, Vincent. It's the talk of the town."

Vincent rolls his eyes and heads out with a small wave of his metal hand and one last glance at Sephiroth.

After the door is closed, the building falls silent with the exception of Sephiroth's little snores which causes Tifa to laugh. "That's adorable. Who'd of thought he snored?"

Cloud shrugs. "Imagine how much we don't know."

Tifa nods and looks at her blond haired friend. "Where is he gonna stay? We don't have any room."

Cloud leans back in his chair in thought. "He can have my room, I'll sleep on the couch and we can get a contractor to get out here to add an extension, I guess. Besides Denzel and Marlene can't stay in the same room forever." Cloud rationalizes his rash sounding decision before Tifa can flip.

She seems hesitant. "Okay, maybe. But are we really going to trust some contractor and crew coming in and out of this house with Sephiroth around?"

Cloud purses his lips. "That's true."

Tifa swallows, looking at Cloud. "We could... ask Reeve."

Cloud shakes his head. "No. We are not bothering Reeve with this."

"Cloud, he's your uncle and he needs to know about Sephiroth. The man is just as much our problem as it is his." She says delicately. She knows Cloud hates asking for help from his rich uncle.

"I know." Cloud says. "Give me some time to think about it."

Tifa nods, knowing that it'll probably turn up negative, but hope that they somehow figure this out. It's not a matter of money, Cloud's delivery service brings in a lot and so does Tifa's bar, it's trust. Until they figure out how to tell the public about the newly reborn Sephiroth. They have to keep him a secret.

In a world where their every move is watched by every one, plus with a restaurant that people can just walk into, how are they going to figure this out?

Sephiroth snores lightly, without a care in the world.


	3. They didn't know he had a chance

**A/N: Sorry that it's been so long. Hopefully this chapter will clear anything that needs to be cleared. I hope everyone enjoys!**

**Words: 2,429**

Sephiroth refused to eat anything, so Cloud and Tifa brought him to Cloud's room and within seconds Sephiroth laid his head down, passing out. Neither of the two care takers felt the need to force feed the exhausted man but promised that he would get a big breakfast the next morning.

After that, Cloud and Tifa head down stairs to plan out their next move.

"Okay, he'll need more clothes, toothbrush, hairbrush, shampoo, razor, cologne, deodorant," Tifa holds up a finger for every item. "Hell, he even needs shoes for crying out loud!"

Cloud drops his head onto the table with a sigh. "I never realized how hard this will be," Cloud says honestly, but raises his head with a little smile. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. We can do this."

With that Cloud stands up, "We'll start first thing in the morning. I'll go out and get him toiletries and stuff, then I'm going to go see Shinra."

"Is that a good idea?" Tifa asks. "I mean, I trust Rufus and all, but he and all the other Turks have a really bad past with Sephiroth."

Cloud raises an eyebrow. "So did I."

Tifa smiles to show she meant no offence. "True, but not everyone is as forgiving as you."

Cloud nods. "I know, but Rufus has really changed. I think that once they know the truth, they'll help out. Give them a little credit."

"I know, and I don't doubt where their hearts are at, but still it just might be a difficult place to put them in. Tseng nearly lost his life to Sephiroth and Rufus nearly lost his to Sephiroth's legacy." Tifa says softly. "I know their good, trust me. I'm more thinking of their well being than Sephiroths."

Cloud nods again in understanding. "I get it. I just think I should tell them about him and let them decide what they want to do from there." Cloud gives a tiny smile. "Everyone deserves a second chance."

Tifa smiles, relieved. "Yeah, okay." She runs a hand through her hair and looks at the clock over the stove. "Denzel is at a friend's house and Marlene is with Barret til next Friday. I guess that means dinner for two?" she offers a little smile.

Cloud smiles back. "Sounds good."

With that, Tifa sets off to get dinner ready. Cloud pulls out his phone and calls up Rufus.

The Co-President answers on the third ring. "Hello, Cloud," Rufus says, sounding extremely amused.

A small smile corsses Cloud's lips. "Hey, Rufus, I wanted to see if you were free tomorrow morning."

There is a short pause. "Around when were you thinking?"

"Anytime in the morning."

"Of course. You can drop by Healin anytime after six but before eight or at the Headquarters after eight and before ten."

Cloud laughs louder than he would have normally, but for some reason the in-depth answer to a simple question caught him off guard. He shouldn't be surprised that Rufus is that thorough.

"Okay, I'll probably drop by at the Healin Lodge." Cloud says affectionately, a gentle smile on his face. Yes, Cloud and Rufus have definitely gotten much closer in the past year. Surprisingly enough, Cloud and Rufus have a lot in common and they connected relatively easy considering the hell the two went through against each other.

"Good to hear," Rufus says. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Cloud nods then realizes that Rufus can't see him, so he says, "Tomorrow then."

They hang up. Cloud puts the phone in his pocket and looks behind the bar at the raven haired woman working diligently at the stove to prepare their dinner. That's Tifa for you. Cloud knows for a fact that if anyone can take care of Sephiroth, it's her. Cloud can vouch for that, she's been taking care of his worthless ass for years now.

"I'm going to go check on Sephiroth," Cloud says standing and moving toward the stairs.

"Okay," Tifa calls over her shoulder, only patially listening.

Cloud moves quietly up the stairs knowing too well how sensitive a SOLDIERs hearing is. Cloud never thought in a thousand years that he would be concerned about Sephiroth's well being but when he stepped into his now occupied room, he couldn't help but smile.

The silver haired man lays on his side curled up in a ball on his side, hair like a silken pillow around his head. One hand is holding tightly to the bed sheets, face stuck in perfect serenity. Part of Cloud is worried about what the future may have in store for them, but the other part of him in happy that maybe now they have a guarantee that there will be a future.

Without any noise, Cloud turns away and leaves the peaceful Hero behind.

* * *

Elena answers the door when Cloud politely knocks.

Like Reno, Elena always greets Cloud with a smile and swings the door open wide. "Cloud, hi!" She gestures with her hand to let him in. "Welcome. The President said you would be here. Come on in."

Cloud nods politely and steps into the spacious, homely Healin Lodge. "Not that it's not appreciated but what's with such the warm welcome?"

Elena claps her hands together, happily. "Sorry, I'm just so happy this morning." Then, almost causing Cloud whip lash from surprise, she spins around and yells out, "Mr. President! Cloud's here!" Then, without a care in the world she spins back to him and beams. "Mr. President!"

"I hear you, I hear you," Rufus laughs, walking through the door, for once not in his usual pristine white suit. He's in white silk pants and a loose button up shirt. He and Cloud shakes hands and Rufus welcomes the blond deeper into the Lodge. "So, what is it that you want to talk about?"

Cloud suddenly felt nervous, following Rufus to his room. Tseng is by his bed, laying out Rufus's suit. Tseng turns to welcome Cloud when he heard them approach behind him.

"Cloud," Tseng greets. "Welcome."

"Thank you, Tseng. How have you been?"

"Well, thank you."

Cloud turns back to Rufus. "Sorry, is now a bad time?"

Rufus rolls up his cuffs. He shakes his head a bit more preoccupied with his shirt then Cloud. "Of course not. What's going on?"

"Is Reno and Rude here?" Cloud asks softly. "This is something you all need to hear, together preferably."

That pulls Rufus away from himself. He and Tseng both turn to look at Cloud. The seriousness etched on his face is enough to tell them that this is of the utmost importance. Rufus pauses for a moment before looking at Tseng. "Go get everyone." Tseng nods and leaves. Rufus turns to look back at Cloud. "Is everything okay, Cloud? Is Tifa okay?"

"No, no," Cloud shakes his head. "Tifa is fine. I'm fine. The kids are fine. It's actually about Sephiroth."

Rufus blinks slowly. "Sephiroth? What about Sephiroth?"

Cloud lowers his head. "You'll see."

Once all the Turks are piled into the room and stare at Cloud expectantly. The blonde sighs and looks at them all each in turn. "I'm sorry to tell you this before work, but Sephiroth is back." Cloud practically watches the color drain from heir faces as horror overtakes the initial shock.

"How?" Rude asks quietly.

"When?" Reno question immediately follows.

"Last night," Cloud proceeds to tell them about how he was in the Aerith's Church when Sephiroth walked in all the way up to when he tells them about the amnesic that is now sleeping like a little baby in his bed at home. After Cloud reasures them that Sephiroth isn't dangerous at the current moment, the color slowly starts to return to their faces but they still look hesitant.

Rufus smooths out his shirt, a nervous habit he picked up over the years. "So, he's pacified?"

"For now," Cloud says slowly. "He is suffering from a severe case of amnesia. So far, he's not interested in anything but to sleep, which is understandable if my theory is correct."

"Would..." Elena swallows, looking at Rufus and Tseng for confirmation to continue. When she gets it, she looks back to the blonde male, "Would it be okay if we... see... him?"

Cloud blinks in confusion at the innocent question. "You want to see him?"

The blonde haired Turk nods. "I do, yes." She looks over at Tseng. "Commander, would that be okay?"

Tseng, looking unsure, glances at Rufus. "Sir?"

"I think," Rufus says slowly, "we should all go see him after work tonight, if that is okay with you Cloud," he adds hastily, not wanting to seem like he is inviting himself to his friends' home.

Now Cloud looks uneased. "Why?" He looks between the young President and the young Turk.

"I..." Elena closes her eyes for a moment. "Last night, I dreamed about my sister. She told me that in order for me to forgive her death, I first have to face it head on." Her voice gets smaller as she notices the looks everyone is giving her. "Uh, nevermind."

Cloud blinks. "Sephiroth killed your sister?"

"Well, no," Elena says shortly. "But I think facing Sephiroth, a nightmare of my past, might aid me in being able to accept my sister's death." She pauses for a moment, a tinge of red on her cheeks. "I must not be making any sense."

"No," Rufus mumbles softly. "I get it. After work, we will all go see him."

Cloud and the Turks nod at the firmness in the young president's voice.

A part of Cloud is extremely grateful that Rufus is being so open minded about this. Rufus's father, Victor, would never have been this open to someone who had betrayed him without heavy repercussions and lots of visits from the Turks. Adding to the fact that Sephiroth_ killed _Victor Shinra, Cloud can see where he would never forgive the white haired ex-general.

But since Rufus has decided to reform the ideals of Shinra, he's held strong to the belief and made sure the rest of his company holds to it as well.

"Alright," Cloud says slowly. "Well, I'll be at home. Just give me a ring when you're on your way. Plus, come with an appetite," Cloud shakes his head as he turns away, only to pause to add, "Goddess knows she wont let you guys leave without dinner."

Reno laughs. "Woot. I love Tifa's home cooking!"

Cloud smiles, walking away as the other Turks and the young President all throw in their own opinion. hoping she'll make this over that, or this with that. Either way, Cloud is going to assume that convincing them to stay for dinner is not going to as remarkable a feat as one might think.

* * *

Sephiroth woke up at two o'clock. But that was only barely. Cloud could hear his stomach growling from downstairs. Even though those cat-like blue eyes opened, the lights didn't really turn on until Tifa baby fed him some scrambled eggs. Sephiroth seemed to like it, if him opening his mouth for more each time is any indication.

Sephiroth still looks tired but much more lively than the day before. As simple as it seems, Tifa was able to teach Sephiroth how to eat with a fork and spoon in ten minutes. She taught him to chew with his mouth shut and to not put more into his mouth than necessary. As tedious as the act seems, it was surprisingly fun to watch for Cloud.

Not only is it slightly amusing to watch the great ex-general learn to do such simple tasks, but Tifa genuinely seemed to enjoy herself. Her motherly instincts kicking in. Cloud was impressed on how fast it took Tifa to take Sephiroth under her wing.

Tifa grins at the silver haired man. "Oh gosh, Sephiroth, you're so cute."

Sephiroth, with his mouth full and eyes wide and innocent, blinks back at her. He doesn't respond to her coos as she shows him how to wipe his mouth, proper eating edicate.

Next, Cloud brought Sephiroth upstairs and taught him how to brush his teeth and hair and how to change into clothes. That was a task in and of it's self. Sephiroth is not coordinated yet to get into pants while standing. Cloud had a good healthy laugh while the silver haired man struggled into some pants.

It's kinda nice having Sephiroth around. The only down side, is that Sephiroth doesn't seem to have any eagerness to try to learn how to speak. Cloud has a feeling, like everything else, that this will come to him in time. Sephiroth has only been awake for a few hours and he's already starting to act like a normal person. Cloud is quite pleased with the process that Sephiroth is already making.

Cloud looks up right as Sephiroth wraps his arms around his shoulders and lowers his head to the left side, his breath hot against Cloud's neck.

Cloud couldn't help but laugh softly, fully supporting the other man's weight. "Still tired, Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth didn't reply, in fact, he leaned heavier on the blond.

Tifa walks toward the silvette from behind and, careful of his lightning fast reflexes, she tickles his ribs through his shirt. As expected, Sephiroth jerks away from the offending hands, eyes wide like saucers. Cloud stumbles as his weight greatly increases before the silver haired man pulls away to look at his ribs, touching them with trembling fingers.

Silver brows knit together as he tries to understand what had just happened. He turns his head to look at Tifa, which is when Cloud strikes out and repeats the action Tifa had. This time, a small yelp escapes the tall man, his eyes growing wider and he holds his ribs, no longer having his back to either of the two in the room. A small tug at the corner of his mouth.

Cloud and Tifa both watch as a tiny smile forms on the ex-general's face and somehow, the prospect of being able to help the poor man doesn't seem that out of reach now. The shared thought is enough to make the two ex-AVALANCH members smile too.


	4. They didn't know what to do

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait! Enjoy! Already a bit revised.**

**Word count: 2,239**

By the time Rufus and the Turks got to the Seventh Heaven, it was about six o'clock and the sun has began to descend to the horizon. The five make their way into the cozy bar to see Tifa working leisurely behind the counter cooking. She smiles brightly at them when they walk in.

"Hey, guys, long time no see," she greets, wiping her hands off on a towel before rounding the corner and pulling each one into a tight embrace. She looks at each of them with a curious look. Tenitively, she says, "Cloud told me that you guys agreed to come see Sephiroth."

"Yes," Rufus says calmly, he takes Tifa's hands and looks into her eyes with his own ice blue. "Now Tifa, I want your honest opinion; what do you think about this? Are you okay with Sephiroth being here?"

Tifa's red-brown eyes lower for a moment, then flicker toward the living room, where the sound of the television is playing softly, before meeting Rufus' eyes. A slightly shaky look comes across her face, and almost if to not break the silence much, she whispers, "I'm not sure yet." She looks around slowly for a moment before nodding to herself. "I believe we have been given the chance to save Sephiroth from himself. If we do this right, Sephiroth can have his life back and finally be..." she takes a deep breath and then lets it out slowly. "...happy."

Rufus stares at her, wondering what happened in the week that he hasn't seen her. He understands very well that Shinra ruined Tifa, Sephiroth more than anyone, and yet now all she can talk about is making the man that ruined her life to be happy.

"Come on," Tifa waves for them to follow her, "he's watching t.v in the livingroom. I put on the discovery channel for him. He likes it."

"No kidding?" Rufus says quietly, following the dark haired girl to the livingroom, the Turk close to him, ready to jump in and protect him at a seconds notice.

Tifa didn't lie. Rufus and the Turks found a stoic Sephiroth sitting on the floor in front of the t.v watching it intently. There is currently a documentary on the craziest looking sea animals that scientists have discovered so far. A male, monotone voice rattles off facts and interesting bits of information about the strange looking animals. As mind numbing as it feels to Reno even as he just started tuning into the stoic din, Sephiroth seemed intrigued.

Cloud, who was sitting on the coach behind the ex-SOLDIER general, looks up at them when they enter. "Hey, welcome."

They exchange distracted greetings, but Rufus and his Turks continue to stare at Sephiroth. The white haired man is so engrossed in the documentary that he has yet to notice their presence. Once the man says his farewells and clues in on another story, but this time of arctic bacteria, the show ends and cat green eyes turn to look at the new guests.

Rufus and the Turks stare down wearily at the straight-faced general.

Tseng could tell a lot of things that were off about the man right away. There were deep purple shadows under his eyelids and a translucency to his face, making him look ragged and almost sickly, along with a slouched posture and criss crossed legs, his hands folded nicely between them.

As innocent and unthreatening as Sephiroth appeared, Tseng knew better than to let his guard down. Sephiroth didn't need his memory to be a deadly killer and capable of doing some pretty horrible things if he believed his life was at risk. Even though Tseng could clearly see that the man lost a lot of weight, his muscles still looked strong and secure, which was a cause for worry. Sephiroth could still seriously hurt someone, even if he didn't mean to.

Rufus clears his throat uncomfortably. "Greetings, Sephiroth. I'm Rufus Shinra."

Sephiroth stares blankly. Not even the slightest flicker of recognition passes his face. Cloud can't tell if that is a good or a bad thing.

"Sephiroth," Tifa says softly, "Rufus, Reno, Rude, Tseng and Elena are our friends." she points to each of the respected people she listed off. "They came here to see you."

There is still no reaction from Sephiroth other than his vacant staring.

There is an awkward silence that fills the room. They all shift, aside from Sephiroth, uncomfortably until a beeping noise from the kitchen draws Tifa away to get the food out of the oven.

"Are you hungry, Sephiroth?" Cloud asks.

The white haired man finally looks away from the new comers and turns to Cloud with big mako blue eyes. The two enhanced SOLDIERs stare at one another in silence for a few long moments before Cloud says, "I'll take that as a yes."

Sephiroth stands up slowly, he wiggles his ankles as if to help the blood flow. He moves past the new comers and Cloud to go to the kitchen. He sits himself at the table and folds his hands onto the polished wood.

Cloud waves for the Turks and Rufus to follow after him. They all sit themselves around the table. The Turks and Rufus begin to relax over the course of the dinner, just watching Cloud and Tifa and how they have tenetively accepted him into the family.

"Here," Tifa grabs a napkin and hands it to Sephiroth. "Wipe your face off. Remember, like I showed you?"

Sephiroth takes the napkin and wipes the corners of his mouth.

"Great!" Tifa smiles. "You remembered."

"How are you guys planning about teaching him how to speak?" Rufus asks, after carefully swallowing a mouthful of food.

Cloud and Tifa both look at each other. They hadn't really talked about it. Cloud just figured that he would learn naturally. Tifa was thinking something similar.

"Probably just... I don't know. Flash cards?" Tifa guesses. "Right now we are more focused on just activities, not so much the verbal stuff."

Reno lays his elbow on the table and leans on it, looking thoughtfully at Sephiroth. After a moment, the silence ex-SOLDIER begins to stare back. Finally, Reno murmurs, "I wonder how aware he is, you know? Does he know he's eating? That he's surrounded by people? I wonder if he's even thinking? Is he like a baby in that sense? Is he unable to comprehend what is going on around him?"

"All very good questions," Tseng says softly, turning his gaze to Sephiroth as well. "We are able to comprehend what we gather with our five sense and make sense of it with thoughts that come to us in the form of words. Is he incapable of any of that while he doesn't have words of even noise that shows displeasure or not?"

Now all of them stare at him. Cloud rubs his face, as if that entire conversation has exhausted him. "I guess I wouldn't know. We were too young to even understand the complexities of 'understanding'. So, perhaps he does understand but he's incapable of expressing it right now."

"What circumstances must be met in order for him to become capable?" Tseng asks, now to Cloud.

Cloud lowers his blue eyes in thought. "I wonder."

Sephiroth looks back down at his food and continues to eat, calmly and without haste.

"Also," Elena cuts in, "what about when he does begin to sustain normal life again. What are you going to do about him and the outside world? I mean, you can't just keep him here for the rest of his life."

Cloud nods. "Very true."

"The world believes that he is dead," Rude says.

"And very, very evil," Reno adds.

That puts a damper on Tifa's high spirit, but she is still persistent, "Maybe so, but can't we do something? Oh, I don't know, like maybe tell everyone the truth? Sephiroth is good now?"

"Yes," Rufus says doubtfully, "but I bet the first thing that comes to mind would be that if Sephiroth turned bad once, he could possibly do it again. That wouldn't put much stock or even faith in the new Sephiroth."

No one could deny the unfortunate truth in that. The people would not accept Sephiroth back so easily unless for a really good reason. Or a very convincing lie.

Sephiroth finishes the last of his meal and gets up to put his dishes away. He returns to his seat and looks around at the other occupants with a blank look. After a moment or two of him looking at them curiously, he folds his arms on the table and lowers his head.

"I wish there was some way for us to help his progress," Cloud says softly, looking at the white haired man's drooping eyes, "but without words, I wouldn't know how to best go about this all."

Tifa reaches out and smooths her hair down, in a tired manner. It's only been a few days but both care takers look worn.

"Sephiroth," Tifa says lightly, getting the white haired man to open his eyes, "could you try and say something to us? Anything?"

Sephiroth stares at her without any indication that he understands her. He blinks a few times before looking over at Cloud, almost like he would be able to tell him what Tifa was asking of him. Cloud smiles softly back at him.

"Don't worry, speak when you're ready," Cloud murmurs, "we can be patient."

Sephiroth blinks a few times before closing his eyes again.

"Well, I guess there isn't much we can ask for from him now, is there?" Elena asks.

"No," Rufus agrees. "We should be heading off, we have work early in the morning."

Cloud and Tifa stand to show the blond haired President and his Turks to the door. Sephiroth, waking at the sound of shuffling chairs, watches them with tame curiosity. Rufus glances back at the stoic ex-hero, not sure if he is ready to give up on the possibility of him still being bad.

"Don't be strangers," Cloud says.

"We won't," Rufus says wearily, looking to both Tifa and Cloud, and then to Sephiroth. "I promise."

After they exchange goodbyes the Turks and Rufus leave but not before Elena moves over to the slouched whited haired man and says softly, "Goodbye Sephiroth." The ex-general blinks slowly, before looking up to the blond haired woman, a tiny, almost pained smile crosses his face. The Turks tense and Tseng mentally berates Elena for being so trusting. Reno tenses his muscles ready to jump in and pull the small blond from danger at a moments notice. Sephiroth glances at Tifa, who's hand is still poised from when she was waving her friends off, and mimics her.

Elena startled, nods and waves before scurrying out. With a curious look from the other occupants, the Turks and Rufus relax slightly and depart. Tifa shuts the door behind them while Cloud walks over to Sephiroth.

Sitting next to him, he asks, "Sephiroth, do you remember Gun? She was Turk like Reno, Rude, Elena and Tseng. Elena, that girl that just spoke to you, that's Gun's younger sister." Sephiroth lifts his head and stares at Cloud, a confused look on his face. After a moment, he lowers his head again and closes his eyes. Cloud runs a hand through his blond spikes. "I'll take that as a no."

* * *

Tifa and Cloud get Sephiroth to bed. The process is slow. Tifa had to reteach Sephiroth to brush his teeth and he hadn't quite got changing down. But Cloud and Tifa kept positive and reenforced the good behavior and actions that Sephiroth exihbited. But once the grown man is safe in his bed, Tifa and Cloud fall onto the couch exhausted. They look at each other and smile weakly.

"I think today was successful," Tifa says optimistically.

Cloud nods. "Sure, it could have been worse."

"Right, like, he could have reacted poorly to seeing Rufus and the Turks."

"And they could have reacted worse to seeing him."

"Right, so it could of been worse."

Cloud smiles thinly. "Yep, definitely could be." After a moments thought, he adds. "Now it's time to tell the rest of our friends."

Tifa drops her head back on the couch and groans loudly. "Just the thought of how they'll react is giving me a headache. Why did you have to say that, Cloud? Can't we be just as surprised as they are when they come around?"

Cloud laughs as that. "That wouldn't go over well, so sadly, no, but at least we'll have Vincent to help us."

Said Gunslinger steps out of the shadows that he has been hiding in since Sephiroth returned to their lives and leans against the wall. "There is very little I can do to help either of you."

Both groan at that. This entire process is going to be a difficult one, and Cloud still needs to tell Reeve about it as well. Cloud can already feel himself aging at an accelerated rate. And he doesn't like it. But baby steps is what it takes to reacclimate Sephiroth to this life, so he's just going to have to bare it. A dark part of all three of them are still waiting for Sephiroth to stop, for the blue to fade from his eyes and the green eyes-Jenova's eyes- to return.

There is a silent, mutual understanding between all of them. They will somehow get through this, and they will work together. Plus the careful eye of the brilliant Rufus Shinra and his Turks is nothing to scoff about either. Somehow they'll make it through this. Somehow.


End file.
